Monthly archives for August, 2006

The 6th Alcor Conference
October 6-8
Scottsdale Marriott in Scottsdale, ArizonaREGISTER NOW to take advantage of the reduced rate of $395. Rates increase September 1st.
Is it possible to stop aging? Will nanomedicine and medical nanorobots dramatically extend the human lifespan? Can cryopreserved human beings be revived in the future and what impact would result? Join us to hear distinguished speakers present their provocative insights into anti-aging, life extension research, nanotechnology, organ preservation, cryonics and more.

Alcor’s annual conference is approaching, and it is our hope that you will join us as a sponsor in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the Scottsdale Marriott. Our conference theme this year is “An Inside Look at the Science and Medicine of Tomorrow” and the audience is expected to be comprised of 200 or more people. We appreciate your consideration of acting as a sponsor to further the objectives of the non-profit Alcor Foundation.

Make your sponsorship donation today by contacting me toll-free at 877-462-5267 ext. 113, as sponsorship opportunities may reserve quickly. To learn more about the conference, visit www.alcor.org.

SPONSOR LEVELSPlatinum – $15,000 (max. 2 sponsors)
Sponsorship of the dinner on Saturday, October 7th with these benefits:
• Recognition in marketing materials
• Full-size ad in conference program
• One page flyer or brochure of your choice in conference bags
• Two complimentary conference registrations and hotel rooms
• On-site sign and verbal recognition throughout conference
• On-site exhibition, if desired
• Thank you and ad in Cryonics magazine following the conference

Gold – $10,000
Sponsorship of opening reception on Friday, October 6th with these benefits:
• Recognition in marketing materials
• Half-page ad in conference program
• One page flyer or brochure of your choice in conference bags
• One complimentary conference registration and hotel room
• On-site sign and verbal recognition throughout conference
• On-site exhibition, if desired
• Thank you and ad in Cryonics magazine following the conference

Silver – $5,000
Sponsorship of the barbeque on Sunday, October 8th with these benefits:
• Recognition in marketing materials
• Quarter page ad in conference program
• One page flyer or brochure of your choice in conference bags
• One complimentary conference registration (hotel separate)
• On-site sign and verbal recognition throughout conference
• Thank you and ad in Cryonics magazine following the conference

Bronze – $2,500
Sponsorship of breaks or Saturday luncheon with these benefits:
• Recognition in marketing materials
• Business card size ad in conference program
• On-site sign recognition at events
• Thank you and ad in Cryonics magazine following the conference

Copper – $1,000
Available at select times during the conference with these benefits:
• Recognition in marketing materials
• On-site sign recognition
• Thank you in Cryonics magazine following the conference

All Contributions are Welcome. Smaller donations will be recognized inCryonics magazine following the conference

The Fall issue of Cryonics magazine will focus on ethics. We are seeking an Alcor member to profile who can talk about an ethical dilemma that was faced relevant to the decision to become an Alcor member. We will conduct a 30-minute interview by phone, and we ask that 4 or more photos be supplied for the article.

Anyone who is interested can contact Jennifer Chapman for more information (jennifer@alcor.org, 877-462-5267 ext. 113). We are also interested in hearing from anyone interested in writing articles for this or future issues.

In his guest editorial, former Alcor President Steve Bridge talks about
why there aren’t more medical professionals involved in cryonics.
Isn’t it because they are taught in all their education that people who
are clinically dead are just that, dead? And that there is no sense
doing anything else for them? If that is what their mindset is,
isn’t asking them to participate in cryonics like asking them to
participate in the activities of morticians preparing bodies for
funerals? At least that’s how they would see it, right?

Steve Bridge Replies:
Yes, that is certainly part of the problem; but that is the part of the problem that we already understand. “Dead is Dead” has been the rigid misunderstanding of most people in all fields for centuries at least, in spite of frequent cases in contemporary medicine where the label of “dead” was misapplied. However, most of the medical professionals who DO understand this point still do not get involved in helping with cryopreservation procedures or research. We need to understand how to break through that next level of resistance.

Jennifer Chapman also comments:
Thank you for your comments. Cryonics does require a shift in the
perception of death. A person who has a heart attack and is “dead” in the
clinical sense but is revived using CPR or a defibrillator was not dead at
all. If medical professionals are willing to reconsider the standard
definition of death used today, they may also see cryonics patients as
potentially viable, only farther in the future.

For some time now, we have been looking for ways to bring more timely information about Alcor to our members and the public. The lead time for Cryonics magazine is several months, and even the email Alcor News only went out once per month. Furthermore, the email format was limited to short news items, which was often confusing. So, we decided to bite the bullet and join the blog bandwagon. As you can see from the dates on some of the posts, it took a while to work things out, but by doing this we hope to bring up items as they happen, with the space to do them more justice.

Now, this is a news blog, and not a conversation group. There are many discussion groups on the web, including Alcor United and Cryonet. We don’t have the time to deal with either moderating or comment spam, and as an official Alcor publication we would need to, so commenting is not enabled. That said, feel free to send email to alcornews@alcor.org, with any questions or comments you have. From time to time, we will publish “letters to the editor” right here.

And if you subscribe to the email Alcor News, don’t worry. We will still send it out, with links to the blog articles and stories that have appeared over the previous month.

To start things off, we are presenting a Guest Editorial from former Alcor President Steve Bridge. Steve brings up some excellent points about the relationship between cryonics and conventional medicine, and some theories about why cryonics has not “caught on”. Most everything I agree with, and much of what he suggests we are in the process of actually doing. For various reasons, we are limited in what we can say just now, but I hope to be able to fill things in much more at the upcoming Sixth Alcor Conference. Don’t miss out on it! As of two weeks ago we already had 132 paying attendees, so it promises to be the best attended conference ever.
Stephen Van Sickle
Executive Director

Alcor training sessions are given throughout the year in a variety of
locations for the purpose of training individuals to perform
cryopreservation stabilization and transport procedures. Those who do not
wish to participate are welcome to observe or simply stop by to meet Alcor
representatives.

Training sessions are attended by one or more Alcor personnel and offer an
introduction to biohazard and safety protocols, advanced airway management,
cardiopulmonary support and blood washout procedures, often using mannequins
for hands-on experience. Training also provides introductory training in
negotiating with medical personnel, families and medical examiners or
coroners. Local medical professionals and members of Alcor or other
cryonics organizations are eligible to attend. There is no charge for
attendance, but each person is responsible for their own travel and hotel
expenses.

Participation in the training is required to become a member of the Regional
Transport Team in your area. Members of the Regional Teams may be contacted
if an Alcor member needs help and will be compensated for participation in a
cryopreservation case. Team members who become Alcor members also receive a
75% discount on membership dues (excludes Life Membership).

Unless indicated otherwise, each Saturday training session will be followed
by a dinner which is open to anyone interested in meeting Alcor members,
even those who are unable to attend the training session. RSVP is required.

Location: Southern California (Redondo Beach) at the Crown Plaza
Resort, 300 North Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach, CADate(s): August 19-20, 2006Time(s): Training will be held from 9am-4pm both days. There will
also be a Saturday evening dinner open to anyone interested in meeting Alcor members.

Location: Austin, Texas at the office of Steve Jackson at 3735
Promontory Point Drive, Austin, TX 78744Date(s): September 23-24, 2006Time(s): Training will be held from 9am-4pm both days. There will
also be a Saturday evening dinner open to anyone interested in meeting Alcor
members.

Location: Northern California (Berkeley) at Café de la Paz, 1600
Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709 (510-843-0662)Date(s): November 11-12, 2006Time(s): Training will be held from 9am-4pm both days. There will
also be a Saturday evening dinner open to anyone interested in meeting Alcor
members.

Have you ever thought about joining the Alcor team? We have opportunities for Physicians, licensed Paramedics, Emergency Medical Technicians, Registered Nurses, Lab Technicians and more to join our nationwide Transport Team. Participation is on a contractual basis. You’ll be given cryonics training enabling you to participate in our patient rescue and transport cases. Licensed professionals do not have to be Alcor members to join our team. We welcome your expertise and interest. Send your resume to: employment@alcor.org

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, September 9, 2006, at 11:00 AM (MST). Board meetings are typically held on the first Saturday of the month at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in Scottsdale, AZ). Members and the public are encouraged to attend.

On July 31, 2006, Alcor had 805 members and 48 applicants. Thirty-three
applicants were cancelled in July due to no progress towards completing
membership. In a majority of cases they were unresponsive for over a year
and had not completed the required extended application charge form.

Magazine: The 3rd quarter issue of Cryonics magazine is in production. We are in the planning stages for the 4th quarter issue which will have the theme of Ethics.

Information packages: Information package requests were around 20 percent below normal this month (83 distributed). 30 information package requests were received from UK in August following airing of the Zig Zag documentary.

Further media details:Daily Mail: Cheryl Walsh handled this interview (Tanya Jones was out of the office) for a newspaper in the UK, resulting from the Zig Zag press release.

Ottawa Citizen: Cheryl Walsh handled this interview for a newspaper in Canada, resulting from the Zig Zag press release.

Adler Online: Tanya Jones did a live radio interview with Charles Adler for listeners in Canada, resulting from the Zig Zag press release.

Institution of Chemical Engineers: This is a trade journal for chemical engineers and the article is expected to focus on what is happening in the field of cryonics and the interplay of science/engineering.